vCenter upgrade failed at the VCENTER_UPGRADE_PREPARATION stage - Failed to initialize replication of the vCenter Server Appliance for the upgrade process

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

A vCenter Server upgrade fails during the preparation stage when the installer attempts to replicate the database. This occurs specifically when the PostgreSQL backup utility cannot access required configuration files.

Symptoms

• vCenter upgrade fails at the VCENTER_UPGRADE_PREPARATION stage.
• In /var/log/vmware/vdtc/vlcm.log, the following error is observed: pg_basebackup: error: could not get write-ahead log end position from server: ERROR: could not open file "./telemetry.conf.backup": Permission denied
• The source vCenter remains functional, but the upgrade cannot proceed to Stage 2.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 9.0.2 (Source)

VMware vCenter Server 9.1 (Target)

Cause

The file telemetry.conf.backup located in the PostgreSQL data directory has incorrect ownership or permissions (typically owned by root), preventing the vpostgres user from reading it during the pg_basebackup operation.

Resolution

If you encounter this error during the upgrade, follow these steps:

1. Take a powered-off snapshot of the source vCenter Server Appliance.
2. Log in to the source vCenter Server via SSH as root.
3. Navigate to the PostgreSQL directory: cd /storage/db/vpostgres/
4. Verify the permissions of the file: ls -l telemetry.conf.backup
5. Change the ownership to the vpostgres user: chown vpostgres:vpostgres telemetry.conf.backup
6. Set the correct file permissions: chmod 600 telemetry.conf.backup
7. Restart the upgrade process.

For assistance gathering logs, refer to Collecting vCenter Server support bundles. If the issue persists, Contact Broadcom Support.

Additional Information

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